


Back To You

by froggydarren



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 15:24:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12235554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froggydarren/pseuds/froggydarren
Summary: Now that he thinks about it, he really should have known better. He did know her better than to hope that she’d stay.





	Back To You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InvisibleRaven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisibleRaven/gifts).



> This is a tiny ficlet for my dear Bethany's birthday. Here's hoping it'll make you smile a bit :D

They lost track of each other for a long time, after the war. Neville thought, for just a little while, that maybe she’d stay, settle down, stick around Hogwarts while it was rebuilt and brought back to its former glory. 

Now that he thinks about it, he really should have known better. He did know her better than to hope that she’d stay. She had places to go, discoveries to make, the Quibbler to run now that it was yet again safe to do so. 

He stayed. The school was his home, after all. He had offers from various corners of the magical community through the years, due to his affinity for Herbology, his ability to find new uses for plants that no one else seemed to have thought of in the past. And during school breaks, he did go out to help those who needed his particular touch for gardens and pharmacies around the world. Ultimately though, he always returned to Hogwarts, to his office just above the greenhouses where he could teach young wizards the tricks of getting plants to grow in all conditions. 

He missed her though, even after he met someone else, after he learned to trust enough to let himself fall in love. But by the time his godson was on the train to Hogwarts, him and Hannah were separated — on nothing but friendly terms — and he boarded the train alongside the students, ready for the next year of teaching. 

When the train arrived, he didn’t join the others in the carriages, and he nodded to Hagrid who was still in charge of the boats and the first years. Before the feast, Neville preferred to walk from the station, to check in on the Forest and the plants along the way. 

He watched the Thestrals pull the carriages away from him, and his chest tightened at the memories, at the flashback of moment he first saw them. It haunted him still, the fact that most of his friends, most of those who were around during the war, they all could see the dark creatures. And they all knew why. 

“We’re never going to think the carriages move alone again, will we?” 

The question — the familiar voice that asked it — made him startle and yelp in surprise. He turned around just as the last carriage disappeared around the bend, and there she was.

Her clothes were a bit more subtle, less bright and colourful than he remembered. The blonde hair was moving with the wind that was blowing around them, and her eyes were hidden behind the all too familiar Spectrespecs. Without being able to stop himself, Neville’s lips turned into a soft smile.

“It’s been a while,” Luna said, smiling back at him as she pushed the specs from her eyes to the top of her head. 

“Almost twenty years,” he replied with a nod. 

“They’ve been good to you, I hope,” Luna said quietly.

Neville thought about the years that had passed, the time it took to recover from the horrors they’ve been through. He thought about how there still wasn’t a cure for his parents, but also how his Grandma was still around. 

“They were,” he said after a few beats. 

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he wondered if he was imagining her. If maybe he’d had a little too much Firewhiskey on the train, if his mind conjured her up because he’d wished so much that she were here. 

Then she stepped towards him, and her pale hand reached for his. 

Just like that, he was back in the Great Hall’s ruins with her next to him, both covered in scrapes and dirt, but  _ alive _ . 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come by sooner,” she said quietly. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t send an owl,” he replied. 

They didn’t move, though he wanted to pull her closer, hug her like they never did before. 

“Walk with me?” Luna asked then, breaking the silence. 

Neville’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“You’re staying?” 

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer, wasn’t sure if it was going to be the one he was hoping for. But not knowing had never been good for him. 

“There was an opening,” she said as they began walking towards the castle. “Care of Magical Creatures.” 

“You’re staying,” Neville said, this time without the inflection. 

“I’m staying,” Luna confirmed. 

They didn’t let go of each other’s hands until they reached the Great Hall. 

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://froggydarren.tumblr.com/)


End file.
